Make Your Smartphone Minimalist

What it does

Turns the whole screen black and white, so apps look less vivid.

Cost

Free, built into every iPhone.

How to set it up

Settings › Accessibility › Display & Text Size › Color Filters › Grayscale. Then Settings › Accessibility › Accessibility Shortcut › Color Filters, so a triple-click of the side button switches it.

How easy to get around

Very easy: a triple-click.

What the evidence says

In a study, grayscale cut time on the phone but not how often people unlocked it. Pair it with a schedule.

Worth knowing

For a lighter version that keeps photos in colour, see Plain icons.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Replaces the Home Screen with a few big buttons for only the apps you choose.

Cost

Free, on iPhones with iOS 17 or later.

How to set it up

Settings › Accessibility › Assistive Access › Set Up Assistive Access.

How easy to get around

Leaving it takes a triple-click and a passcode. Firm if someone else holds the passcode.

Worth knowing

Emergency texting by satellite doesn't work while it's on.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Screen Time Schedule sets when apps are available; Time Allowances sets how long, by category.

Cost

Free. The new controls need iOS 27 on all your Apple devices; on iOS 26 they're called Downtime and App Limits.

How to set it up

Settings › Screen Time › Screen Time Schedule, and Time Allowances. Then lock it: Settings › Screen Time › Passcode & Management › Lock Screen Time Settings (on iOS 26, Settings › Screen Time › Lock Screen Time Settings), and let someone else type the code.

How easy to get around

Without a passcode, seconds. A passcode you set yourself can be reset with your Apple Account. Firm only when someone else holds it.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Chooses which people and apps can notify you, and can switch to a quiet Home Screen page.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

Settings › Focus › + › People and Apps. Link a Home Screen page, and add a schedule.

How easy to get around

Easy: turn it off in Control Center.

What still gets through

Repeated calls, notifications marked time-sensitive, and contacts you've allowed to break through. On iPhones with Apple Intelligence, Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing also decides; turn it off if you want the Focus to behave the same every time.

What the evidence says

In a 237-person trial, getting notifications three times a day improved attention and mood and lowered stress. Turning them off completely raised anxiety.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Makes app icons dark, clear or one colour, and can hide their names. Some people use it instead of grayscale, because photos keep their colour.

Cost

Free, built in. Clear icons need iOS 26 or later.

How to set it up

Touch and hold the Home Screen › Edit › Customize. Choose Dark, Clear or Tinted, and Large to hide app names. A plain black wallpaper helps too.

How easy to get around

Very easy: change it back in the same menu.

What people say

One long-time user stopped using grayscale once his icons were dark and his wallpaper plain.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Turns off notifications and red badges for everything except the apps you choose, and shows what's left as a number instead of a list.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

Settings › Notifications › Count, and Show Previews › When Unlocked or Never. Then go through each app and turn off Allow Notifications, or just Badges.

How easy to get around

Easy, but you have to go app by app. There's no single switch for badges.

What people say

"Everything off except Phone and Messages" is the most common advice in long-term setups.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Holds notifications from the apps you choose and delivers them together at set times.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

Settings › Notifications › Scheduled Summary. Turn it on, set the times, then pick the apps.

How easy to get around

Easy: open Notification Center, or turn it off.

Worth knowing

This is the built-in way to get notifications three times a day, as in the trial on the Focus card. Apple doesn't say exactly what skips the summary, so check that important texts still come through.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Stops the phone putting apps in front of you in search, the App Library and on the Lock Screen. Excluded Apps keeps chosen apps out of search entirely.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

Settings › Siri › Suggestions, and turn off each switch. To keep an app out of search too: Settings › Siri › Excluded Apps (iOS 27). On iOS 26, suggestions are under Settings › Apple Intelligence & Siri on iPhones that have it.

How easy to get around

Easy: switch them back on.

What people say

People turn it off so opening an app is a decision, not a reaction.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Stops the screen lighting up when you pick the phone up or tap it, and turns off the always-on Lock Screen.

Cost

Free, built in. Always On is only on some models.

How to set it up

Settings › Display & Brightness › Raise to Wake and Always On Display, both off (on iOS 27 these may have moved to Settings › Appearance). Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Tap to Wake, off.

How easy to get around

Easy: press the side button, or switch them back on.

Worth knowing

Notifications still light up the screen unless they're off or a Focus silences them.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Takes apps off the Home Screen without deleting them. You open an app by swiping down and typing its name, so each one is a choice.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

Touch and hold each app › Remove App › Remove from Home Screen. Settings › Home Screen & App Library › App Library Only, so new apps stay off. In the same menu, turn off Show on Home Screen to remove the search button. To hide whole pages, touch and hold the wallpaper, tap the dots at the bottom and untick them.

How easy to get around

Easy: every app is still one swipe away in the App Library, which can't be turned off.

What people say

The setup that comes up most in long-term guides. One person keeps a blank second page to put one more swipe between them and the App Library.

Checked October 2026

What it does

An automation in the Shortcuts app turns grayscale on at a set time or when a Focus starts, and off again later.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

Set up grayscale once (see Black and white). Then in Shortcuts, make an automation for a time of day or a Focus, set to run immediately, with the action Set Color Filters › On, and a second one for Off. one sec's blog has a free pair you can import.

How easy to get around

Very easy: a triple-click, but it comes back on the next evening.

Worth knowing

There's a version that turns grey only inside certain apps, but on iOS 26.6 pulling down Control Center can leave it stuck the wrong way.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Moves an app into a Hidden folder at the bottom of the App Library, out of search, and asks for Face ID to open it.

Cost

Free, built in (iOS 18 or later).

How to set it up

Touch and hold the app › Require Face ID › Hide and Require Face ID › Hide App. To find it again: App Library › Hidden.

How easy to get around

Easy: a few swipes and your face. It works for App Store apps, not built-in ones like Safari.

Worth knowing

Useful with an empty Home Screen, because typing the name no longer finds it. Apple doesn't say whether hidden apps still send notifications.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Stops the App Store installing anything, so an app you delete can't come back on a bad day. The apps you already have keep working.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions, turn it on › iTunes & App Store Purchases › Installing Apps › Don't Allow. Then lock it: Settings › Screen Time › Passcode & Management › Lock Screen Time Settings (on iOS 26, Settings › Screen Time › Lock Screen Time Settings), and let someone else type the code.

How easy to get around

Without a passcode, seconds. A code you set yourself can be reset with your Apple Account. Firm only when someone else holds it.

What people say

The firm step that comes up most. People like that they keep banking, maps and Uber, but can't reinstall Instagram.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Hides Safari, or limits it to a list of websites. The apps you keep still work.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

On iOS 26: Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions › Allowed Apps & Features › Safari, off. On iOS 27, built-in apps are listed under Other Features; check that Safari is there. Pair it with No new apps, or another browser gets around it, and lock it with a passcode someone else holds.

How easy to get around

As firm as the passcode.

What people say

Jake Knapp turned off Safari and kept it that way for years. The catch is QR-code menus and links people send you. Some people allow Safari for 10 to 30 minutes a day instead.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Turns the screen black and white, so apps look less vivid. Keep it on all the time, or let it switch on with a schedule.

Cost

Free, built in. Google says color correction isn't on every phone.

How to set it up

Settings › Accessibility › Color and motion › Color correction, and choose grayscale. Then turn on its shortcut, such as holding both volume keys or a Quick Settings tile.

On Samsung

Settings › Modes and Routines › Sleep, and add Grayscale. Menu names vary by model.

How easy to get around

Very easy: one tap or a button press.

What the evidence says

In a study, grayscale cut time on the phone but not how often people unlocked it. Pair it with a schedule.

Checked October 2026

What it does

App timers limit how long an app can be open each day. When time is up, the app closes and its icon dims until midnight. Focus mode pauses the apps you choose, on a schedule.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

Settings › Digital Wellbeing & parental controls › App timers. On Samsung: Settings › Digital Wellbeing › App timers.

Locking it

App limits › App limits PIN. With the PIN on, a zero-minute limit blocks an app outright. Let someone else choose the PIN.

How easy to get around

Without a PIN, delete the timer. Focus mode has "Take a break". Firm only when someone else holds the PIN.

Worth knowing

Family Link's School time locks harder, but it's made for children's accounts.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Like Focus on iPhone: choose which people and apps can notify you, and when. Do Not Disturb, Bedtime and Driving come built in.

Cost

Free, built in.

How to set it up

Settings › Modes › Create your own mode, then Notification filters. If you see "Do Not Disturb preferences" instead, your phone is on an older version.

On Samsung

Settings › Modes and Routines › Add mode. Do not disturb and Restrict app usage are under Stay focused.

How easy to get around

Easy: one tap in Quick Settings.

What the evidence says

In a 237-person trial, getting notifications three times a day improved attention and mood and lowered stress. Turning them off completely raised anxiety.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Tap your phone on the puck to block the apps you chose; tap again to unblock.

Cost

$59 once, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Works on

iPhone (iOS 18+) and Android (12+).

How to set it up

Install the app, choose what to block, and keep the puck somewhere you have to walk to.

How easy to get around

You need the puck. Five emergency unblocks, more by emailing support. Calls always work.

What the evidence says

A survey of 3,500+ users by Brick itself (maker's claim). One of TIME's Best Inventions of 2026.

Privacy

Links your email and usage to you; no tracking.

Checked October 2026

What it does

A Mac app that relays important iMessages to a second phone, like a Light Phone, a flip phone, or an old iPhone with only the apps you need. Reply by texting back, and your replies go out from your own number.

Cost

$20 once, after a 14-day free trial. Optional Plus, $4 a month.

Works on

A Mac that stays awake and online, your iPhone at home with Text Message Forwarding on, and a second phone with a number of its own.

How to set it up

About 10 minutes, with both phones in hand.

How firm is it

As firm as leaving your iPhone at home. Your apps stay there, and only important texts reach your second phone.

What the evidence says

No study has tested Decaf or any text relay. We make it, so keep that in mind.

Next step

Decaf makes it realistic to try a minimalist phone without losing iMessage. The next chapter covers the phones it works with.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Before an app opens, it has you take a short breath, then asks if you still want to open it.

Cost

Free tier. Pro $6.99/mo, $19.99/yr or $99.99 once.

Works on

iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android.

How easy to get around

Easy, on purpose: you can always continue.

What the evidence says

A study found 57% fewer openings after six weeks. No comparison group, and the app's founder co-wrote it.

Privacy

Usage data, not linked to you.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Blocks apps on a schedule or after a time limit, with a stricter Hard Mode.

Cost

Free for one rule. Pro $19.99/mo, $99.99/yr or $399 once.

Works on

iPhone (iOS 18+), Android and Mac.

How easy to get around

In Hard Mode, "You can't turn Opal off" (maker's claim).

What the evidence says

No outcome data published.

Privacy

Tracks you across apps; links purchases, email and usage.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Turns your Home Screen into a short text list, with locks on the apps you choose.

Cost

7-day trial, then $1.99/wk, $3.99–7.99/mo, $17.99–19.99/yr, or $23.99–29.99 once.

Works on

iPhone (iOS 18+).

How easy to get around

It sits on top of the real Home Screen, so your apps are still there underneath.

Privacy

Data not collected.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Android lets you replace the home screen. A minimalist launcher shows a short list of app names instead of a grid of icons.

Options

Olauncher: free, open source, no ads. Niagara Launcher: free, Pro $24.99/yr or $74.99 once. minimalist phone: a launcher and app blocker, free with in-app purchases.

How to set it up

Install one, then choose it in Settings › Apps › Default apps › Home app. Menu names vary by phone.

How easy to get around

You can switch back any time, and your apps are still installed.

Worth knowing

Samsung's Easy mode makes icons bigger but doesn't remove apps. Pixel has no simple mode of its own.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Adds a wait before the apps you choose open, with limits on how often you open them.

Cost

Free, supported by donations.

Works on

Android, iPhone, Mac and Windows.

How easy to get around

A lock mode can stop you uninstalling it. One reviewer got past blocks by changing the phone's clock (reported).

Checked October 2026

What it does

Blocks apps until you scan an NFC sticker, QR code or barcode you keep somewhere else.

Cost

Free and open source; stickers cost little.

Works on

iPhone (iOS 17.6+).

How easy to get around

Firm if the sticker lives somewhere else. No emergency override described.

Privacy

Data not collected; no account.

Checked October 2026

What it does

Locks the phone in a box for anywhere from 1 minute to 10 days.

Cost

$59 ($69 for the large one).

How easy to get around

No built-in way out. In an emergency the plastic base can be broken, and replacements cost about $19.

Checked October 2026